Edmodo

This is Facebook for the classroom!

This is the program I would use if I had the use of handheld PC’s in the classroom। This would be the perfect tool to use. It works the same as a social networking site, but is designed exclusively for the classroom.
Edmodo can:
· Be a communication tool between teacher and student
· Keep records of tasks
· Post alerts about upcoming events
· Set reminders for assignments
· Remind students of homework commitments

It works the same as Facebook as in communicating with accepted friends and you are able to upload files, links and file attachments and share them with your classmates. Comments can be posted on each other’s work which allows for peers to reflect and comment appropriately.

Edmodo polls in a great new addition to Edmodo. A teacher can pose a question and ask students to choose an option. These are then collated into a poll of the whole classroom’s viewpoints. This is another effective way to engage the learners.

Edmodo is also completely secure. Only those approved by the teacher can become a member of a particular classroom group.

Teachers can grade and notify each student of individual results within the application. The students are able to access all assignments through the program and when they are submitted they will automatically go straight to the teachers account. This saves an immense amount of time and also does not require that documents be printed. Edmodo helps preserve the environment too!

Web 2.0 technology is rapidly gaining popularity with this generation and Edmodo is a perfect example of how this technology can have huge educational benefits also. Teachers can engage students through the social networking interactions and gain an insight into how their learning is progressing.

I am looking forward to using Edmodo in my own classroom as a perfect means to communicate with my students and ensure they are engaged in quality learning.

Hot potatoes

‘Hot Potatoes’ is an online free-ware service that contains six applications for teachers to design worksheets for their students. These applications include:
· Multiple-choice worksheets
· Short-answer quizzes
· Jumbled-sentences
· Crosswords
· Matching/ordering exercises
· Cloze exercises
It was created by the University of Victoria and is controlled by a company called, ‘Half-Baked Software’.
Using this software, I quickly realised the educational benefits of this. A teacher will be able to create activities that compliment the concepts taught in class. It does not teach the concept, but the teacher can use it to support the learning in class. It has the added benefit of recording ongoing results and teacher and student accounts.
To sign up, you need to open a demo account and then download the package. Unfortunately this is only temporary and the full version does cost money. (About $80 US)
I think it’s a great resource for educators to use that will save a lot of precious time. However, I would probably not use it as it does have a cost associated with it and I probably wouldn’t use it often enough to warrant the cost.

Game maker

As the name suggests, Game Maker is a programme that allows users to create their own online games, without the need for learning the difficult programming language that is so often necessary.
It uses a basic drag and drop system, whereby you choose your sprite, background, wall and actions and drop them into relevant boxes. This in turn creates a game of your own design. There is a limited variety of sprites etc that may not appeal to most people, but it is enough to get an idea of how games are designed and to experiment with various types.
Game Maker is a great tool for the classroom to teach students how to create their own game. It uses lots of problem solving skills which helps students to find alternative ways to master solutions and develops higher order thinking. This application has been used in an extension program for primary students called PEAC (Primary Education Academic Program).
It requires a step by step guide on how to use it, in class I managed to keep up, but I noticed that others didn’t. Instructions would have to be clear and engagement in the lesson is a must, because if you miss a step, you miss a lot of vital information.
I like Game Maker! I believe that I would use it for students in my classroom as a Friday afternoon activity. (Only because there is so much else to fit into a school day, I feel that parents and other teachers would not see the educational benefits as they exist.) It is interesting and engaging for primary aged students and I believe it had loads of educational benefits.

secondlife

Second life is a 3D virtual world that is played online and is one of the many applications available with Web 2.0 technology. It is basically a game where the players have a virtual life in another realm. However there is no objective to the game, so it is better described as a social space. They choose an avatar that may represent themselves and socialise with others, participate in activities, create or trade property or just explore the realm and travel
It was developed by Linden Labs in 2003 and it is free to join and play. A premium membership has a small cost associated with it that enables upgrading of items, clothing etc. And extra technical support. This also gives the user a salary of $300 in second life money per week. This money is called Linden dollars.
There is a chat service available where users can communicate directly with each other during the interacting on the game. This chat is visible to anyone within a reasonable distance from the chatters. A private chat service is also available.
The educational benefits for Second Life are numerous. At Curtin uni the nursing program is developing a platform whereby routine duties can be practiced in the virtual world, before attempting them on real people. This is a much safer way to learn. At a primary school, teachers could set up a platform to teach a specific content. The students could work through a series of activities designed to meet a specific outcome, this could be then assessed within the virtual world. However, as the age limit of second life is limited to those over 18, it is not practicable for the primary classroom.
Overall, this program has massive educational benefits for the future. Virtual world offer the chance to practice skills without doing real people any harm, so it will probably become more popular as time goes by, and as people get used to the idea.
I can’t imagine doing my teaching prac in a virtual classroom, but perhaps practicing behaviour management techniques, or explaining difficult concepts in this environment would be an exciting opportunity and beneficial to those without much real life experience.

Sierra Leone

Partnering for girls’ education in Sierra Leone

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 8 September 2009 – Three children, all seemingly under 10 years of age, are camped around Freetown’s Cotton Tree – a historic site for offering prayers for peace and prosperity – begging for handouts. They do not go to school.

Twitter

Twitter is yet another socila networking site. It uses the ability to update statuses to let followers know what the user is up to and a mini form of blogging.
It has really increased in popularity with a lot of celebrities using it, so lots of followers who are interested in learning what they are up to. Could it possibly replace gossip magazines? One could only hope!
Users can block certain people from following, but unless you actively do so, it won't happen. Anyone can follow virtually anyone! I suspect that's why its so popular with celebrities. A really good way for them to get the truth out there!
Twitter can be accessed online or even on your mobile phone, as now more and more technologies are available from your average mobile phone.
In regard to this technology having educationla benefits? I can't really see this happening. I wouldn't use it in my classroom as I feel that students would waste too much time being social and not get any educational benefits. It would be really hard to monitor the student's use.
But it is a fun application!